Nursing Students’ Health Perceptions and Affecting Factors

Abstract

This research was conducted to determine the health perception levels of nursing students and the influencing factors. The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2023 and September 2023. The sample of the study consisted of 138 students studying in the Nursing Department of the Faculty of Health Sciences in the Aegean region who volunteered to participate in the study. The socio-demographic information (12 questions) questionnaire form and the Health Perception scale (15 questions) developed in line with the literature were used to collect data. The data were evaluated in the SPSS 27.00 package program. As a result of the research, it was determined that the average score that the students got from the health perception scale was 38.99±5.24. When the sub-dimensions of the health perception scale were examined; The Control Center sub-scale average score was determined as 12.82±3.15, the Certainty sub-scale average score as 12.44±2.75, the Importance of Health sub-scale average score as 6.90±1.97, and the Self-awareness sub-scale average score as 6.83±1.70. While there was a significant difference between the students' family type, smoking, financial level, health level, place of residence and family health status and health perception and its subgroups (P<0.05), it was determined that there was no statistically significant difference between age, gender, parental education level, chronic disease and regular medication use (P>0.05). It was concluded that the students' health perception general score and subscale scores were not at the desired level and that various factors negatively affected these scores in general. Various strategies should be planned to strengthen students' health perceptions.